Gainesville Activists Protest Broken Gaza Ceasefire at Depot Park
This article was updated to reflect the Hippodrome walking back the cancellation of “From Ground Zero.”
On March 22, members of Gainesville Jewish Voices of Peace (JVP), Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), and Young Democratic Socialists for America (YDSA) gathered at Depot Park to protest Israel breaking the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.
On the early morning of March 18, the ceasefire was officially broken when Israeli fighter jets unleashed a bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 85 people in one night and nearly 700 total since.
The Israeli military made an Instagram post stating they “eliminated” four Hamas members and that “dozens of terrorist targets were struck to hinder Hamas’ governmental and military capabilities and to remove threats to Israel.”
Photos and videos published by Palestinian journalists on Instagram show small children constituted a large portion of the victims. Al-Jazeera Journalist Hossam Shbat was killed while he actively published images of the massacres on his Instagram. Several other journalists have published photos and videos from the attacks.
Following the attacks, Qatar-based Hamas Political Bureau member Izzat Al-Rishq made a statement on Telegram that said, “The occupier has not honored its commitments and has failed to uphold its obligations before the mediators and the world. Netanyahu has decided to resume the war of extermination, viewing it as his lifeline from internal crises. Mediators must expose the truth about Netanyahu’s reversal of the ceasefire agreement and hold him solely responsible for fueling the fire. The enemy will not achieve through war and destruction what it failed to achieve through negotiations. Military pressure and brutal aggression will not succeed in breaking the will of our people and our resistance.”
Depot Park protesters waved two large Palestinian flags and held signs calling for resistance to genocide and the release of Columbia University student protester Mahmoud Khalil.
The ceasefire wasn't considered broken until March 18, however, Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh reported that between January 2, when the ceasefire began, and February 2, Israeli attacks directly killed 92 Palestinians.
Member of the United Campus Workers of the University of Florida (UF) and PSL Quinton Cooper gave a speech to protesters saying, “It is our duty to fight. It is our duty to win. It is our duty to stand steadfast… to show what is called sumud, steadfastness in the face of genocide, in the face of escalations and potential wars across the world…. From the global north to the global south, all voices are coming together to stand by the Palestinian people, and that is something that shakes them to their core. That’s something that they fear, and we need to show them that’s not going away. Whenever they choose to wage war, whenever they choose to act, we are a factor that will always be at play. We are the resistance.”
Cooper led the protesters in chants, saying, “Gainesville, pick a side; justice or genocide,” in reference to the city’s investments in weapons and construction companies affiliated with the Israeli military.
Cooper leading protesters in chants. (GnvInfo)
A JVP member who remained anonymous said, “Palestinian identities are being censored in our own community of Gainesville. Last week, the Hippodrome Theatre sent out a newsletter with the upcoming film roster. The film ‘From Ground Zero’ was included in the list.”
From Ground Zero was made in Gaza and is an anthology of 22 short films by 22 Palestinian directors. The film’s description states, “Despite the harsh filming conditions, Gaza's vibrant artistic scene shines through this collection, offering an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life and the enduring spirit of its people.”
The JVP member went on to say, “Within days, the Hippodrome theater canceled the film and removed the listing from their website after several major donors threatened to withdraw funding if the film wasn’t pulled from the roster. They also contacted JVP, asking us to remove the film from our flyers. The decision to pull the film following the month-long Jewish film festival deprives the community of access to previously unheard Palestinian voices from a venue that purports to be ‘The heart and cultural fabric of Gainesville.’”
Protesters marching downtown. (GnvInfo)
Protesters then marched from Depot Park to the Hippodrome and back to Depot Park.
Some of the protesters promoted a pro-Palestine event series being held by JVP throughout this week. One of the events, being held this Saturday, is titled “Breaking the Silence on the Palestinian Occupation: A Conversation with an Israeli Soldier.” The former soldier, who has not been named, will be appearing over Zoom at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church at 1:00 p.m.
Activists also promoted the rescheduled From Ground Zero film screening to be held on Sunday at Westminster Presbyterian Church. A day after the protest, JVP scheduled an additional screening at the How Bazar on Friday.
UF Faculty for Justice and Palestine member Malini Schueller told protesters, “If you can get any of your white liberal friends, please encourage them to come to any of these events because it's important. Also, if you could all write to the Hippodrome, their email address is development@thehipp.org.”
After the protest, GnvInfo attempted to contact Hippodrome Education Director Gabrielle Bryan to ask which donors got the film cancelled and if there were any plans for it to be rescheduled. She has not responded.
Sometime after the protest the Hippodrome rescheduled From Ground Zero for the following dates and times:
- April 4 at 7 pm
- April 5 at 3 pm
- April 6 at 4 pm
- April 12 at 1 pm
Tomorrow JVP will be hosting an event at the theater titled “Zionism 101 Teach-in & Israelism,” where they'll be screening the film "Israelism." According to Wikipedia, "The film is critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, and of the American Jewish community's education on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It follows two American Jews as they learn about the conflict and come to revise their views. The film also includes interviews with academics and political activists."
The number of protests being held in Gainesville has increased significantly over the past two months. Yesterday, U.S. postal service workers protested on University and 13th to campaign against the privatization of mail delivery. There has been a recurring protest at a local Tesla dealership, to be held again on March 29. Several protests affiliated with the 50501 Movement have spurred downtown.
Protest leaders at Depot Park encouraged activists to get involved with a local organization to build a movement for change and fight back against injustices perpetrated by the U.S. government.
